Essi Vatilo: The Ethics of Diversity in Science Fiction

COMS/ Degree programme in English language, literature and translation

Cultural diversity has been identified as one of the major issues of the 21st century on both local and global levels. Referring to a range of cultural phenomena between and within societies and social groups, the concept can be linked to different forms of cultural encounters from peaceful coexistence and multicultural exchange to violent colonial exploitation and the contemporary fear of terrorism. However, cultural diversity does not simply exist; instead, it is narrated and mediated, sociohistorically and politically produced, and mobilised for various ends and goals.

This Studia Generalia lecture series takes a critical look at different realities and discourses of cultural diversity in Anglophone societies. English-language societies around the world exhibit notable ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity due to their long history of colonialism, globalisation and human mobility. The course focuses on various forms of diversity in English-language societies both locally and globally; it offers perspectives on minority languages in the Anglosphere and varieties of English, analyses social identities on personal and collective levels, explores literary and cultural narratives of cross-cultural encounter and the geopolitics of diversity, and examines immigration and anti-diversity discourses.